A mouse, trackball, and digitizer having a stylus are conventionally known pointing devices. As known in the art, a digitizer detects the position of an operably associated input device, such as a stylus, in an operating region provided on the digitizer. The digitizer generates input signals corresponding to the detected position, which are output to an operably associated computer. Various designs for digitizers and styluses, as well as detection means, are well known in the art, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,977,959 to Katsurahira et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,259,438 to Fleck et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,969,296 to Yamamoto et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,134,689 to Murakami et al., the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. The computer may be pre-set to include a region on the display that corresponds to the operating region of the digitizer. The computer receives the signals from the digitizer, which are interpreted as operations on the display region.
Therefore, the position of the stylus on an operating region of the digitizer corresponds to a set operation in a display operation region. Accordingly, the digitizer and stylus have excellent sense-of-operation unmatched by other pointing devices. It is therefore a desirable input device, capable of intuitive input operations that are easily performed by a user.
However, the position and size of the display operation region corresponding to the operating region on the digitizer is pre-set to particular settings. These settings must be changed in order to perform operations with the digitizer and stylus in regions other than the pre-set display operation region.
For example, as best shown in FIG. 14, a settings screen 90 includes an application list display portion 91, which displays a list of application programs to be operated using the digitizer and stylus. Particular settings are pre-set so that the digitizer and stylus are used for all application programs executed by the computer, as shown in FIG. 14. An operating area settings portion 92 is pre-set by a radio button or the like, and determines whether or not all of the operating region on the digitizer will be used at the time of operating the application programs displayed in the application list display portion 91.
Furthermore, a display area settings portion 93 of the settings screen 90 is pre-set, and defines the size and position of the display operation region. If a portion of the display corresponds to the operating region on the digitizer, detailed settings are provided by operating a detailed settings button 94. Operation of the detailed settings button 94 brings up a pop-up window on the settings screen 90, which is a detailed settings screen 95, as best shown in FIG. 15. Detailed settings screen 95 includes a coordinates input setting portion 96, a dragging operation setting portion 97, a clicking operation setting portion 98, and so forth.
In the coordinates input setting portion 96, the display operation region may be positioned by setting coordinates on the display. In the dragging operation setting portion 97, the position and size of the display operation region may be adjusted. In the clicking operating setting portion 98, a rectangular region having two points as upper left and lower right corners, relative to the display, may be set to define the display operation region on the display.
Conventionally, the position and size of the display operation region corresponds to the operating region on the digitizer, which is predetermined by settings on the settings screen 90. In order to change the position or size of the display operation region, a user is required to change the settings on the settings screen 90, which is difficult and troublesome for the user. Therefore, there is a need for a method and program for easily adjusting such settings.